- A puzzle adventure about two hours long created by husband Lucien for wife Ellie
- ‘Foldervania’, adding letters of remembrance and mini-games to Metroidvania-style exploration
- The first work by the development team consisting of the director and producer of ‘The Rogue: Prince of Persia’
Falling Leaves Studio, a new indie developer based in Bordeaux, France, will officially release its first title, ‘MyDear.exe’, on the global PC platforms Steam and Epic Games Store on November 2, 2026.
‘MyDear.exe’ is an adventure game with a unique concept where players explore the folders and files of an old PC to unravel a hidden story. The developers introduced this new title as a beautiful ‘interactive love letter’ in which users personally investigate the inside of a virtual computer to complete the narrative.
In particular, ‘MyDear.exe’ is attracting the attention of indie gamers around the world as it is a work created by the game director and producer who were part of the core development team of the critically acclaimed action game ‘The Rogue Prince of Persia’ and joined forces after leaving the company.
The story of two people who loved each other for 57 years
The player becomes the protagonist Ellie and plays a virtual game that her husband Lucien has carefully created exclusively for her.
The story unfolds against the backdrop of complex folders inside an old PC, warmly portraying the affectionate love and precious memories the two have built together over a long period of 57 years.
The developer described this work as a dense narrative experience of about two hours, filled with rich humor, wistful memories, and deep love.
In the game, Ellie must explore the inside of a virtual computer to solve inventive puzzles that her husband, Lucien, has hidden throughout. In the process, she examines faded photographs, short notes, and various objects imbued with the couple’s memories, and solves colorful mini-games that appear throughout the story.
Players can experience a touching journey as they slowly follow the final tribute left to them by their husband, with whom they spent their entire life, while collecting scattered data within the computer one by one and utilizing it in the right places.
‘Foldervania’ inside a fake OS resembling Windows XP
The developers defined the unique exploration style of this game as ‘Foldervania.’ This is a concept that transfers the non-linear exploration elements characteristic of the classic Metroidvania genre to a virtual operating system screen inspired by Windows XP.
Folders throughout the computer are password-protected, and players must solve puzzles in different ways to unlock the locked spaces. The developers emphasized that they meticulously implemented the virtual operating system’s UI to allow not only gamers familiar with PC environments but anyone to control it intuitively and easily.
Inside the virtual computer, quirky and delightful mini-games inspired by the main characters of the story or retro games appear here and there, adding to the fun. Additionally, materials such as letters, photos, and notes hidden in folders visually convey the long memories the couple has shared.
The affectionate conversation between Ellie and Lucien is fully voiced, which further enhances the emotional impact and immersion of the narrative, and this is another element that makes the work stand out.
The first work by the developers of ‘The Rogue: Prince of Persia’
Falling Leaves Studio is a small French indie developer that aims to create high-quality games that can be comfortably enjoyed in short bursts amidst a busy daily life. According to their Steam community group introduction, the studio was co-founded by just two veteran developers.
Co-founder Lucie has built a career at globally renowned developers such as Ubisoft Bordeaux and Evil Empire Studio, and recently served as the lead developer and game director for the critically acclaimed action game ‘The Rogue: Prince of Persia’.
Another co-founder, Jolan, also worked at Old Skull Games and Evil Empire Studios, serving as a senior producer on the same title. The quality of programming, audio, and other specialized areas is being enhanced through close collaboration with freelancers and acquaintances.
The studio stated that their core philosophy is to create “a cozy game where you can fully immerse yourself while wrapped in a warm blanket drinking hot chocolate or sitting comfortably in a chair with a headset on.” In fact, prior to opening their official Steam store page, they communicated with users by conducting pre-playtests through the indie game platform itch.io.
Meanwhile, according to a distributed press release, the user ratings for the demo version of ‘MyDear.exe’ currently available on Steam have been ‘100% Positive,’ successfully leaving a strong impression on early users. However, the specific total number of ratings was not disclosed.
‘My Dear.exe’, which tells the love story of an elderly couple spanning 57 years using a virtual operating system with the sensibility of Windows XP, is garnering anticipation as a well-made indie game that will touch the hearts of gamers in a market dominated by stimulating games.
This work, a new challenge by a team of master developers and a cozy love letter, will be officially released on November 2, 2026, and anyone can currently download a free demo version to experience it in advance via the Steam store page.
Information related to ‘MyDear.exe’
| item | detail |
|---|---|
| Developer | Falling Leaves Studio |
| Genre | Cozy Adventure, Puzzle Exploration (Foldervania) |
| platform | PC (Steam, Epic Games Store) |
| Release date | November 2, 2026 |
| Playtime | About 2 hours |
| voice | Full Voice (Ellie and Lucien) |
| Trial version | Steam Demo Available |
| Steam Page | Shortcut |
